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Sox hop on the bearded bandwagon

Sox hop on the bearded bandwagon

CHICAGO -- The high-energy style of baseball put forth by the White Sox over the first seven games of the 2008 season has met with a collective round of applause from fans around the city.

A few White Sox players' interesting choices in regard to facial hair, though, has those same fans confused by the look for which they are searching. But backup catcher Toby Hall, who currently is sporting a dyed blonde soul patch, explained the strange beard appearances represent another sign of team togetherness.

"It's good. It shows team camaraderie," said Hall with a smile. "I bleached it one day and had the two-tone beard. Swish [Nick Swisher] saw it and asked, 'How do you do that?' so we got him some at CVS [Pharmacy] and it's working for him."

Hall spoke of how he always had the soul patch, and when he was a starter for the Rays, fans in Tampa had cotton balls to represent the soul patch whenever he came to the plate. Hall presently has been joined by Swisher, who features a blonde short goatee, and relievers Bobby Jenks and Boone Logan, who have gone beyond the full length with their respective goatees.

Jenks has selected the blonde look, while Logan opted for black.

"That's one of those things where I'm mixing it up, trying something different," said Jenks, adding that his wife and kids just laugh about his facial hair and don't mind the look. "As long as our luck holds up, I'm going to keep it."

"Anything that brings us together, I'm all for," White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper added. "Bobby has the platinum look and Boone has an Abraham Lincoln thing going. And it looks like there's more coming. Hey, they are young, enthusiastic ballplayers, and you see that with a lot of different teams."

According to Jenks, Juan Uribe and Pablo Ozuna are next in line for a meeting with the blonde dye. They don't expect any of the coaches or manager Ozzie Guillen to join in the colorful fun.

Apparently, though, the team that wins together also shares the same wild taste in facial hair.

"We are rolling as a team," Hall said. "It's working for us."

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.